Mary Etta Hancock Cubberly Emeritus Board Members David Auth, Ph.D

Matheson History Museum Fall 2015 Newsletter Volume 17, Issue 2 2015 Board of Directors Betsy Albury—President Barry Baumstein—Vice President Lawrence Lokken, J.D.—Treasurer Ivy Bell—Secretary Peggy Macdonald, Ph.D.—Executive Director Robert P. Ackerman, Esq. Larry Brasington Mae Clark Fletcher Crowe, Ph.D. Phil DeLaney Caleb King, D.D.S., M. Sc.D. Rod McGalliard, Esq. Anson Moye, Ph.D. Laura Nemmers Church Street, Archer postcard courtesy of the Matheson History Museum Collection Jon Sensbach, Ph.D. Anita Spring, Ph.D. Courtney Taylor, Ph.D. Greg Young Mary Etta Hancock Cubberly Emeritus Board Members David Auth, Ph.D. By Joanna Grey, Marketing and Education Coordinator Mark V. Barrow, M.D., Ph.D. Mary Etta Hancock Cubberly was a renaissance woman. She was born on April 4, 1870, in Central Donald Caton, M.D. Mine, Michigan, a town known for its copper mine, but her family moved to Archer, Florida, in 1885. According to the 1880 census, her father, James Hancock, had been a blacksmith but when they Mary Ann H. Cofrin moved to Florida he bought over 100 acres of orange trees. Unfortunately, the Big Freeze of 1886 D. Henrichs happened the next year and by the 1900 census Mr. Hancock had become a “well borer.” Rebecca Nagy, Ph.D. Mary Etta was a very smart and determined young woman and in 1886 she began teaching at the age Ann Smith, R.N. of 16. She taught in a one-room log cabin “deep in the country […] and not many miles from the Suwanee River.” She boarded with the Snyder family and was introduced to snuff for the first time, although she politely turned it down. For the first three days only three children attended. She quickly learned it was because the chairman of the board had decided he did not like her because she was “a Yankee and nothing but a kid.” Mary Etta did not let that dissuade her, though, and she quickly won over the rest of the community. After a few weeks all of the children were attending school. INSIDE THIS ISSUE In 1891 she graduated with honors from the State Normal School at DeFuniak Springs. At the time, this was the main state school for teacher training. Founded in 1887 it would operate until 1905 Grants Update ....................................2 when female teacher education was taken over by the Florida State College for Women in Tallahas- see. New Staff & Board Member ...............3 In 1901 she had the rare opportunity to be the co-editor of the educational department of the Weekly Volunteers ..........................................3 Tallahasseean. She and her co-editor, Professor W. F. King of Bronson, wrote on topics such as Melting Pot Update ............................4 relations between the teacher, parents, and pupils. Their article of January 24, 1901, stated, “It is with regret that we notice, all over our God blessed land, a growing friction between teachers and Upcoming Events ...............................4 pupils; also, between teachers and patrons. So dangerous to the public welfare, so menacing to the Upcoming Exhibits ............................4 very foundations of good government, is this friction, that wise and soberminded teachers and patrons all over our southland have determined to look into it, and find the cause and the remedy.” It is Membership .......................................6 inconclusive how long she held this position, but at a time when very few women held such positions at newspapers it was quite the accomplishment. Mary Etta continued to excel and she became the first woman principal in Alachua County. Her passion for education and her love for her students were always evident. In 1896 when presidential election fever had taken over the country, she organized a mock election for the students. The students had to pay a one cent registration fee and could vote for either William McKinley or William Jennings Bryan. The registration fees went to the library fund for the purchasing of books. Continued on page 2. She not only wanted to see her students ties keep her from being involved in the grow in their knowledge of the world community and continue learning. She around them; she also wanted to see them was very involved in civic and church thrive physically. Seeing many of her male work. Nature, astronomy, and writing students needing more physical activity were some of her many passions. In her she organized a baseball team and acted as later years she helped secure the property the umpire. A man from Jacksonville com- for the Alachua General Hospital and mented that she “knew the rules as well as promoted the building of it. a regular umpire.” As a lifelong learner, Mary Etta was a After 17 years of teaching she married strong proponent of the Chautauqua Frederick Cubberly, the Collector of Cus- Movement and was instrumental in bring- toms at Cedar Key and a U.S. Commis- ing it to Gainesville. The Chautauqua sioner for the Northern District of Florida. Movement was started in 1874 on the They were married in Alachua County on shores of Lake Chautauqua in western October 21, 1903. As was the custom of the New York. It started as a summer school day, she gave up her profession to run the for Sunday school teachers but quickly Cubberly household and raise the chil- grew into the Chautauqua Institution, dren. They would eventually have two which encouraged adult education daughters, Hazel and Helen, and move to through correspondence courses by the Gainesville in 1909. Their home was on E. Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle. Orange Street, now the corner of SE 2nd Every summer students would travel to Avenue and 4th Street, but was razed in Chautauqua Lake to partake in classes and 1972. attend concerts and social events. Mary Etta and her family traveled there many Mary Etta did not let her new responsibili- summers. “As a lifelong learner, Mary Etta was a strong proponent of the Chautauqua Movement and was instrumental in bringing it to Gainesville.” GRANTS UPDATE In the early 1900s the movement morphed into a “circuit Chautauqua,” where Chautau- quas would travel around the country hosting classes. By 1915 over 12,000 communities had hosted one, including Gainesville. In 1906 the trustees of the Florida Winter Bible Technology Grant from Conference, which was held for a number years in Gainesville, built a permanent struc- Capital City Bank—Funded ture to host the conference and traveling Chautauquas. It was located on the present loca- tion of the Matheson History Museum. The organization brought in a variety of speakers, the purchase of a new lap- such as William Jennings Bryan and Reverend Sam Jones, along with “dramatic readers, top, camera, tripod, and musical quartets, singers, magicians, programs of slides, and even horse shows” (Hildreth two corded microphones. & Cox, 118-119). Mary Etta continued to be a renaissance woman even up to her last days. She passed Florida Department of away in 1950 in Gainesville and is buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Archer along with State, Division of Histori- her husband, Frederick, his parents and sister, and her parents and brother, Samuel. As with the six women featured in the Matheson’s current exhibit, Mary Etta left her mark cal Resources—$300,000 on Alachua County and Florida. grant to fund the exterior renovations of the Melting Pot building Alachua County Tourism Product Development Grant—Renewed for another year and will help fund our exhibits and programs City of Gainesville Commu- nity Grant—Renewed for another year and will help fund tours for student groups Images Above: Mary Etta Hancock Cubberly, 1887, courtesy of the Matheson History Museum Collection ; Winter Bible Conference and Chautauqua, courtesy of the Mathe- 2 son History Museum Collection WELCOME NEW STAFF AND BOARD MEMBER VOLUNTEERS New Board Member Many thanks to our loyal and hardworking volunteers! Mr. Lawrence Lokken, J.D., has joined the Board of Di- rectors as Treasurer. Mr. Lokken is the Hugh Culver- Mr. Fred Awbrey—Tour Guide house Eminent Scholar in Taxation Professor Emeritus extraordinaire! in the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida. Mr. Don Albury—Tireless cata- He received his J.D. from the University of Minnesota loger of the Tison Tool Barn and and B.A. from Augsburg College. He joined the law facul- writer of the “Tooling Around the ty at the University of Florida in 1974 and was named the Matheson History Museum” blog. eminent scholar in 1994. He previously taught at the University of Georgia and New York University. Mr. Ms. Mae Clark—Her generous Lokken has been a visiting faculty member at many edu- donation helped make the refur- cational institutions, including Duke University, Univer- bishing of the Matheson’s main sity of Leiden, The Netherlands, and Warsaw University, entrance possible and she contin- Poland. From 1977-1982 he worked as a Research Con- ues to oversee the upkeep of the sultant for Harvard Law School International Tax Program and from 1995-1998 he was a potted plants and front lawn. member of the United Nations Ad Hoc Group of Experts on International Tax Matters. Dr. Betsy Albury—We are indebt- He is the co-author of Fundamentals of International Taxation and Federal Taxation of ed to her for her continuous work Income, Estates & Gifts. on grant applications for the Mu- seum. New Staff Members Dr. Mark V. Barrow—His newest project is working with the City to Rebecca Fitzsimmons, MLIS, MFA, has joined the have Sweetwater Branch, which Matheson as our new Curator and Archivist. She holds a runs along the east side of the Master of Fine Arts in photography from the University Museum, restored and beautified.

Load more